Friday, September 9, 2016

Montreal-Vancouver Round Trip Trains, August 1968

Travelling along through time, this is the third post in a three-post series on our family's Montreal-Vancouver round trip aboard CN in August, 1968. The scenic first post doubled as a Canada Day 2016 Trackside Treasure homage, and part two preserves some family photos of life aboard the train, stopovers and visits made along the route. All slides are taken by my father, L.C. Gagnon (unless you notice he's in a photo!) and scanned by my brother Dave. Some italicized passages are taken from a trip account typed by my mother.Prior to departure at Central Station (top photo) , Capreol (below). Our itinerary was:

August 6 morning in Capreol. CN 4132-4149 led out of Montreal with steam generator unit:

"At such stops as Capreol, wagons of ice streaming with water on account of the heat, were pulled out by tractors. Oil was waiting by the tracks for lubrication. There was a big sign by the station with a map on it boasting the attractions of Capreol, and noting its distance from Montreal - 425 mi. - and from Winnipeg - 1000+ miles."

CN No 2 arrives (above) and we are passing Winnipeg's Transcona shops the next morning, August 7:

Another early morning arrival, this one in Edmonton August 8:

Express cars at the station (above) and CN 6510 leading two other units during refuelling:

Looking west during station stop at Edmonton:

Edmonton yard switching

The Canadian across the river approaching Vancouver on August 10.

"The hills became higher and treed - more and bushier evergreens, and what looked like maples with huge leaves. We had a race with the CPR's silver "Canadian" train, on the embankment on the other side of the river."

"While we were in the dome car, a special coach put on through the mountains from Jasper which had a rounded ceiling made entirely of glass except for a central strip. The steward, waiting in the aisle for the right moment, announced "Hell's Gate" and we saw away down below us the river boiling through a narrow gorge. I have noticed in my book that we passed through six or eight tunnels that morning on our mountain-hugging course."

"We spent the morning in the dome car but were frustrated in our mountain-viewing by the clouds and fog draping them. The train stopped at Mount Robson, the highest peak of the Canadian Rockies, and Laurie hopped off to take a picture." Refuelling at Jasper on August 21:

A 'breeding pair' of Sceneramics at Jasper - I've never seen a photo of two Sceneramics together before!

Sioux Lookout servicing stop on August 22 with CN 6531 in lead. We meet the westbound Super led by CN 6521 with icing platform at right:

Meeting westbound freight on curve, northern Ontario August 23:

Running extra...

This concludes our three-part 1968 trip account series. Though my brother scanned many more slides, these are the 'highlights' I selected to share with Trackside Treasure readers. Nearly a full decade before VIA, more than a decade after CN and CP's massive investments in passenger equipment that VIA would inherit, at the tail end of CN promotion of passenger travel. A unique time to travel across our great country. Now we are on the eve of VIA's 49th anniversary.

9 comments:

Jason Sailer
said...

Great post Eric! I love the Super Continental photos - what it would be to travel like that, with the Sceneramics! I have a few slides of the Super Continental from the early 1960s - looked like a very nice looking train.

Of course, my Dad made a point of photographing the scenic, family and trackside facets of this journey. It was probably the most extensive Canadian vacation we made as a family. I noted that one photo shows an olive-and-green car on our train heading east; otherwise it was all CN noodle, just a few years after this scheme was introduced.

This, without a doubt, is the best post I've seen all day. No, in the last week. It was like I was riding along with you. Your stuff is the best. Trains, cool, but with a story, super cool. Two thumbs up!

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Rather Sketchy Profile

Eric Gagnon was born in Montreal, Quebec and has lived in Kingston, Ontario most of his life. Much time was spent trackside when not in school, college or practising as a medical laboratory technologist. Married with two children, Eric is also an HO-scale modeller, musician, avid reader and blogger, having launched his Canadian railfan blog Trackside Treasure in 2008. Eric's first book Trackside with VIA:The First 35 Years, published in 2011, was followed by two more in 2012: Trackside with VIA:Cross-Canada Compendium and Consist Companion. In 2017, Eric published his fourth book, Trackside with VIA - Research & Recollections. Eric's books can be found in museum gift shops, hobby shops and in the hands of VIA Rail enthusiasts across Canada, the United States and worldwide.

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